His planning sessions are "about defining what we're for, not what we're against."

"Right now [Kushner is] just trying to understand the Republican position so that we can take all those views to the president and he can make an informed decision," the same official said on Tuesday.

"This is more of a long-term policy process, not a resolution for the shutdown," the official added. "And amnesty was not discussed at any of these meetings. This is really about how do we reform our broken immigration system."